by Joyce
The cloaked witch from the boat appeared to us, lounging in one of the chairs at the table. “What a lovely place this is. I can understand why you’d hate to lose it.”
“Lose it?” Elsie frowned. “Who said anything about losing it?”
“I just did. All it would take is a snap of my fingers.”
The figure snapped gloved fingers, and a row of books started to burn.
Dorothy put the fire out with her hands. “I can’t believe you’d burn a book. What are you thinking?”
“Just a warning,” the faceless figure said. “It could get much worse!”
“What do you want?” I demanded, almost too terrified to speak.
“The council can’t help you. I do what I want. I think I’ll use some of this nice, young magic myself. Say good-bye.”
One minute, Dorothy was there beside me, glaring fiercely at our visitor. The next, they were both gone.
“What happened?” Elsie slowly spun around. “Where did they go?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never seen a spell like that before.” I looked toward the ceiling, wondering why Olivia had been so quiet. “Olivia is gone too.”
“No.” Elsie pointed. “Look. There she is. Or at least some part of her is there.”
I searched the ceiling area. Something that looked like a mural of Olivia was embedded in the old tiles. Her mouth was open, and her hands were up in fright.
“He can’t do that in our shop.” Elsie took out her sword and muttered a spell to free her.
“Do you think that’s a good idea?”
Too late.
“Girls?” Olivia was down from the ceiling, but she’d lost dimension. She was completely flat, as though someone had peeled her away. “I feel so odd.”
Elsie snorted. “You look pretty odd too.”
“What happened?” Olivia tried to get her three-dimensional form back. She was only ectoplasm, after all. “I came up here, and then poof, nothing. Where’s Dorothy?”
“The rogue witch took her. Dorothy’s magic attracted him or her.” I shook my head, hating the feeling of powerlessness that gripped me. There was nothing we could do to stop the witch from killing Dorothy to take her magic.
“The witch was here? That’s who put that awful spell on me?” She popped her hand out and wriggled her body shape around. “Why kidnap Dorothy? She hardly knows what to do.”
I stared at her before I sat down heavily at the table. Isabelle jumped into my lap. “I’m sorry, Olivia. I’m sure the witch means to steal her magic.”
“You mean kill her?” Olivia jerked her form in agitation. “We can’t let that happen, girls. We just can’t.”
“Whoever it is knows some great spells.” Elsie stroked Barnabas. “I’d like to steal their spell book.”
“Our top priority now has to be finding Dorothy.”
“She’s absolutely right,” Olivia agreed.
“What about Larry?” Elsie asked. “We have to go to the jail if we’re going to help Mr. Brannigan free him.”
“What’s to decide?” Olivia demanded. “Larry’s a werewolf. Dorothy is my daughter, and she’s in danger.”
“Do you have any idea how to find Dorothy?” I asked Olivia.
She kept working at regaining her form. As various parts of her body filled out, they made sounds like knuckles popping. “I wish I did. She could be anywhere.”
I drew in a deep breath. “I don’t know how to find Dorothy.”
“I think we should finish what we’re doing.” Elsie pushed her purple hat down firmly on her head. “We have to meet Mr. Brannigan and free Larry. Then maybe he can help us talk to the council about Dorothy.”
Olivia wasn’t comfortable with that plan. “No. We can’t let her stay with that creature a minute longer than absolutely necessary.”
“We don’t have a way to track them,” I reminded her. “I think Elsie is right.”
“Really?” Elsie grinned. “Wish I had a flag to wave.”
Olivia finally agreed. Elsie and I got our things together, fed the cats and left the shop, with the staff in tow.
We got in the car and drove across town to the jail. Olivia was looking almost as good as new. Her face was a little flat, like a Persian cat. Otherwise, she had escaped the full brunt of it. I had no doubt that whatever spell or curse had been used against her would’ve been much worse if we hadn’t been in our stronghold.
There were police officers everywhere outside the jail. I hoped we wouldn’t run into Joe. That would take some explaining we couldn’t do in public. It was imperative that we didn’t speak of anything to do with magic outside the enchanted bubble.
While the bubble could be called on anywhere, I knew Olivia, Elsie and Mr. Brannigan would notice it right away. I couldn’t answer their questions without putting Joe in danger. It was best only to employ that device in private.
Mr. Brannigan was waiting for us impatiently by the front door. He alternately tapped his foot on the sidewalk and glanced at his pocket watch.
“You’re late,” he accused when he saw us. “I have better things to do than hang around here all day waiting for you.”
“I’m sorry.” I was very conscious of the people who passed us going into the jail. I wished I could hide my face. “We’ve come up against another problem.”
I explained to him about our visit from the rogue witch and Dorothy’s kidnapping. “Our protection spell wasn’t strong enough to keep us safe. Now we’re vulnerable. We don’t have the background or experience to fight someone like this. We need help from the council. Where is Cassandra?”
“She’s on vacation,” he said. “I’m all the help you’re going to get from the council.”
“Can you help us find Dorothy?” Olivia asked him.
“I’ll try.” He sighed heavily. “But first, my instructions are to free the werewolf. After we do that, we can consider this new problem.”
“This is a day I thought I’d never see.” Olivia’s voice was bitter. “A member of the council choosing to help a werewolf over a witch.”
He shrugged. “Not my decision. The council wants to keep a good relationship with the werewolves. I’m sorry. I do what I’m told. That’s my job.”
“That’s what I said!” Elsie clapped her hands.
“I’ll need you to combine or share your magic, ladies.” Mr. Brannigan bowed his head and laced his fingers together. “This is going to be harder without the new magic from Dorothy.”
Elsie and I held hands and focused our magic on helping him. I could feel the energy building between us. It felt like a thunderstorm approaching from the Atlantic, threatening and overwhelming. The feeling moved up from my hands and into the rest of my body.
“That’s it,” he grunted. “You’re doing fine. Keep going.”
“I don’t know how much more I have to give,” Elsie whispered.
I held her hands more tightly. “We’re together. We can do this.”
It seemed as though we were covered in blue light. It filled the air around us and permeated our senses. My hands were trembling and cold. It was difficult to breathe. I kept my focus on freeing Larry, not sure what the outcome of that would be. Trusting our magic, as I always had, to do what was best.
“That’s it!” Mr. Brannigan’s voice made me open my eyes.
“What the—?” Larry was there on the sidewalk with us outside the jail.
“Let’s get out of here.” I was relieved that it had worked. “They’ll notice that you’re gone. It won’t take long for them to search for you.”
“But that’s the beauty of the spell we cast,” Mr. Brannigan gloated. “There’s a doppelganger in Larry’s place. No one will know the difference—until it evaporates. In the meantime, he’s safe.”
“Which gives us the opportunity to find the witch who killed Ol
ivia and took Dorothy,” Elsie said. “Coming, Mr. Brannigan?”
“That’s not going to happen,” he told her. “If there’s some way to track and capture this witch, the council will take over. You won’t be involved.”
“So what are we supposed to do now?” I asked.
“The waters are a little muddied right now.” He procrastinated, clearly having no real answer. “We have the wolf. I suggest we get out of here!”
CHAPTER 27
Water, air, earth and fire—help me find what I desire.
Cauldron, candle, wind and seed—help me find what I need.
“Oh my goodness! Don’t tell me you can’t save my daughter.” Olivia was prone to panic attacks. “Someone get me a paper bag to breathe into. I’m afraid I’m going to faint.”
Elsie laughed at that. “How do you suggest we give you a paper bag?”
“Good one, granny!” Mr. Brannigan laughed too.
“Granny?” Elsie was immediately offended. “Mind your manners, junior, or I’ll take my sword to you.”
“Hey, all this is fun”—Larry glanced around us—“but could we get a move on it? I’m a little paranoid standing out here like this.”
“He’s right,” I agreed. “Let’s drop him off at his boat and then go to Smuggler’s Arcane. That’s the safest place we can be until we decide what to do next.”
It was a tight squeeze in my car. Mr. Brannigan didn’t want to call another taxi. Olivia wanted to ride in the car but didn’t want anyone to sit on top of her.
“Man, the police still have my herb tea and my book.” Larry was disturbed by the loss. “They can’t tell the difference between marijuana and any other plant, I guess. Maybe we should swing by the Arcane before you take me home.”
“We could do that.” Elsie was pleased with the idea.
“No. We can’t. You need to get on your boat and sail away for a while until all of this blows over,” I told him. “We can’t take any chance that someone could see you there.”
“But I’m not stocked for a long trip,” he complained.
“Sail to the Outer Banks and pick up supplies,” I suggested. “Do whatever you have to do—just don’t do it here.”
He grumbled but finally got the idea. I let him off by his boat at the marina, and he promised to leave Wilmington right away. “You’ll let me know when I can come back, right?”
“I have your email address.” Elsie smiled and waved. “I’ll write every day, and save you some tea and a new book for when I see you again.”
“You’re the best.” He leaned his head in the window and kissed her cheek. “I’ll be counting the days.”
That was enough to spin Elsie’s head. She talked about Larry nonstop until we reached the shop. “He’s such a handsome gentleman. I’m going to miss him. I feel like the ladies of yesteryear when their captains sailed off to sea.”
“Oh, how romantic,” Olivia gushed.
“Please.” Mr. Brannigan rolled his eyes. “Can we talk about death or dismemberment rather than all this drivel?”
I smiled but didn’t comment. Elsie’s relationship with Larry the werewolf would probably never come to anything, but everyone needed a little romance in their lives.
It surprised me to see Joe waiting on the steps of Smuggler’s Arcane when we got there. My pulse started racing, and my heart was pounding.
I had a terrible feeling that he needed to talk about what he was doing in regard to the investigation into Olivia’s death. We couldn’t do that here—not now. It would be bad enough in front of Elsie and Olivia. Mr. Brannigan would immediately report the violation to the council.
“Good morning!” Elsie greeted him as she got out of the car. “It’s a grand and glorious morning, don’t you think? Perhaps a little sad, but there are brighter days ahead.”
Joe nodded, obviously not sure how to respond to what she’d said. “Good morning, Elsie. Hi, Molly. Could I talk to you a minute?”
“Richard Brannigan.” He shook hands with Joe. “We’ll wait inside. One romance is enough for the day.”
Olivia laughed as she blew through the wall and into the shop. Elsie yelled for her to wait as she trudged up the stairs with the staff in her hands.
After they were inside, Joe put his arms around me and whispered, “Can we do the thing? I can’t remember the code word, but I need to talk.”
“This isn’t the time,” I hissed in his ear. “I’m sorry. It has to wait.”
He took a step back, still holding my hand. “It’s important, Molly. There may be a development in the case.”
I couldn’t take any chances. “We can’t get sloppy with this. We’ll have to talk later.”
“Okay.” He shrugged. “Then I have to get back to work. Be careful, sweetheart.”
“You too.” I sighed as he left. I knew it wouldn’t be easy once he knew the truth. It would be simple for the council to pick up on anything we said about magic right now while we seemed to be front and center. Joe didn’t realize that I was acting in his best interest. I hoped he never had to find out.
Still, I was curious about the new development. I wished we could have taken a moment to talk. He looked troubled and uncertain. His wish for me to be careful made me nervous.
Inside, Mr. Brannigan helped Elsie and me renew and strengthen our protection spells on the shop. It would make it harder for the rogue witch to get inside again but not impossible.
“Why is this happening?” I questioned him. “There are ancient magic tools being stolen, and a witch has been killed. Someone purposely tried to start a fight between witches and werewolves. Still the council does nothing.”
“I don’t know,” he admitted. “The council can’t see this witch. They can’t find her magic.”
“How is that possible?” Elsie asked. “I thought they could see all magic.”
“Not this magic.” He shuddered.
“How are we supposed to fight this witch?” I couldn’t believe it. I knew the council was nosy and restrictive. I never realized they could be completely spineless.
“They don’t want you to fight anything!” Mr. Brannigan reiterated.
“Of course not,” Elsie said. “I don’t even have enough magic to keep my hair from frizzing each day. A witch like that would make mincemeat of us.”
Mr. Brannigan climbed on one of the chairs so he was close to the same height as us. “You ask too many questions. If the council wanted you to do anything, they’d tell you. Just stay out of it.”
Olivia was raging. “If they don’t want us to do anything, then they’d better do something! That’s my daughter out there with that killer!”
“They can’t. Not right now.” He strained his neck to scan the shop. “You’re in danger. Be smart and lay low for a while until they figure out what to do. And quit using that amulet!” He glared at me.
“Using it?” I put my hand to my throat, fingering my mother’s amulet. “I haven’t used it.”
He closed his eyes and sniffed. “You’re wearing it. When you’re close to the water, the magic is amplified.”
“I’ve had it my whole life, and it never amplified anything before. Why now?”
“I don’t know. Maybe because you need it. Have you worn it your whole life?”
“No,” I conceded. “Only since the day Olivia died.”
“There you have it. Its magic becomes stronger as it’s worn. There are many magical tools of that nature. Didn’t Cassandra explain any of this to you?”
“Some,” Olivia said. “That was before Elsie accidentally turned her into pottery.”
“What are you talking about?” He glanced at me. “What is the ghost saying?”
I did my best. His face kept clouding over. I knew he didn’t really understand.
“And you haven’t seen Cassandra—alive—sinc
e then?”
“No.” Elsie shook her head. “Not really. Although there’s a bit of dust left from her on the counter. All of it wouldn’t come up.”
“I’m going to have to report this.”
“Could you do it after you find Dorothy?” I asked.
He huffed and got to his feet. “How can you even suggest that an untrained witch is more important than finding Cassandra? Don’t do anything until I get back.”
We watched him stalk out of the shop and disappear in the middle of the parking lot again.
“Wasn’t that what we said about the werewolf taking priority?” Olivia asked.
“I guess there are priorities and then there are priorities. I think we’re on our own again.” I found myself touching my mother’s amulet and stopped. I sat at the table, tired and dispirited. “I’m open to suggestions on ways we can get Dorothy back, if either of you has one.”
Elsie sat too. Barnabas purred loudly at her feet. “I wish we could wait for the council. I don’t know where to start.”
“The council?” Olivia tried to put her hands on her hips. They went right through her, and she was left looking a little ridiculous. “Since when do we ask them for help? We may not hear from Cassandra or Mr. Brannigan for weeks! Dorothy might not have that long.”
“We can try a locator spell,” I suggested. “If Mr. Brannigan is right about the amulet enhancing my magic, it could help us.”
“Good idea, Molly!” Olivia came close to the table. “We’ll need something of hers.”
“We have her cat,” I said. “Maybe we could use Scooter.”
“Hemlock,” Elsie corrected me.
“Right. Hemlock.” I looked around for Isabelle and asked her if she’d seen Hemlock.
“Barnabas says he’s back in the storage room,” Elsie said.
“I miss being able to talk to Harper.” Olivia pouted. “Who knew being a ghost wouldn’t be any fun?”
I went back to the storage area and lifted Hemlock out of the mop bucket. He was slightly damp and smelled like Lysol. “Come on. You’re going to help us find Dorothy.”
